“I spent a lot of my life trying to be someone else,” said Patti H, 28. Patti is a former classmate who I reconnected with in 2023 upon seeing Patti’s coming out post as a transgender woman. Patti accepted my offer to collaborate on a photo series to document this time in her life.

When asked for her preference, Patti requested for the photographs to be of gender affirming moments, as she felt this would be safe and non-triggering to her in her first prominent experience of being photographed as a transgender woman. While some emotional and physical aspects of Patti’s gender transition are complete, there is more left. With a smile on her face, Patti dreams, “I have a lot of plans for the future.”